chestia ca asta va cauza un soc economic, inflatia va sari cateva puncte si economia pe ansamblu va da un pic inapoi, desi pana in prezent predictiile nu au scazut decat de la 4.6% rata de crestere anuala la 4.4%... that is not bad at all though... UE pe ansamblu nu viseaza sa sara de 3% rata de crestere anul asta.

America nu prea are nevoie de ajutor. cred ca e capabila sa se ajute singura, desi Katrina i-a dat un mare sut in fund... they will prevail...

Consider ca singura tehnologie "alternativa" aplicabila cu adevarat ar fi dieselul... deoarece motoarele diesel (chiar si de aceasi putere cu cele pe benzina) sunt mult mai putin gurmande decat benzinarele...
Asta pana nu o sa ne bagam centrale atomice sub capota...

arnold, guvernator de CA, vrea sa faca din california primul stat in care motoarele cu combustie interna sa fie interzise completamente

Mda... si totusi... eu nu as da un V8 pe o chestie care vibreaza ca dracu, scoate fum cu miros de cartofi prajiti si are 80 de cp... sorry no...

Car and Driver - Brock Yates - September 2005 http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?se...amp;article_i...
1 of 3 31-Aug-05 8:08 AM

AUGUST 31, 2005
BROCK YATES 1 2
Hybrid issues.
BY BROCK YATES
September 2005
I'm not exactly a betting man, but I'll give you 100 to 1 odds that if
you're reading this nonsense you are not a hybrid-car owner.
That's probably a good wager, considering that the new miracle
vehicles are stuck at about a one-half-percent market share of the
roughly 17 million annual new car and light-truck domestic sales
and that you are vastly more likely to tear up the asphalt in a
gas-swilling, earth-choking, mega-speed road rocket like the rest of
us motorized Neanderthals.
Of course, if we pay attention to the Cassandra-like fulminations of
the liberal media, we might be led to believe that hybrid vehicles
are our only hope to save us all from ozone asphyxiation and
indentured slavery to the Arab oil barons. To ignore their PC
incantations and to continue our binge buying of conventional
internal-combustion engines will, according to these all-knowing
scribes and electronic chatterers, doom civilization to a dark age
embroiled in a heat-soaked Sahara.
Yeah, maybe. Then again, maybe not. Yes, we understand the
feds are giving a one-time $2000 tax credit to hybrid owners, and
16 states are offering come-on tax breaks ($1500 in Oregon,
$4173 in Colorado), inspection exemptions, and single-driver use
of HOV lanes as incentives.
Moreover, the hybrids being sold by Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Ford,
and, soon, Chevrolet are all reasonably priced. Example: The
hot-selling Toyota Prius—with a three-month waiting list in most
markets—can be purchased for under $22,000 loaded (although
most experts estimate that Toyota is taking a $2000 hit on each
sale). The Pious—oops—Prius costs about $5000 more to
manufacture than a conventional Corolla and retails for about
three-grand extra.
Now let's jump ugly about the whole situation and talk a little
reality. The guys at Edmunds.com, who run hard numbers about
the car business as well as anyone, estimate that a Prius owner
would have to drive at least 66,500 miles annually for five straight
years, or gasoline would have to soar to 10 bucks a gallon, to
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Car and Driver - Brock Yates - September 2005 http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?se...amp;article_i...
2 of 3 31-Aug-05 8:08 AM
equal the cost of operating a cheaper, conventional Corolla.
Then we have the battery pack, that heavy lump of nickel-metal
hydride juice boxes that presumably improve fuel efficiency (but
not that much, according to our road tests). Although the
warranties are for eight years or 100,000 miles, battery
replacement will cost $5300 for the Toyota and Lexus hybrids, and
the Ford Escape replacements run a whopping $7200.
Moreover, the industry types aren't talking about total battery life.
Will they actually last 100,000 miles? How will this affect resale
value? Will the systems stay at full efficiency, or will they slowly
drain power as they age or operate under heavy use? These are
questions that remain to be answered, understanding that storage
batteries, be they dry cells in your flashlight or exotic Ni-MHs, all
have finite lives and store less power with age.
And now comes word that the computer brain inside the
gas-electric grids in some Priuses is tending to go nuts. This
causes instant blackout stalling at either 35 mph or 65 mph—the
latter possibly in the fast lane of an interstate where 50-ton semis
running 90 mph can crush compacts like beer cans.
This brings up an undiscussed issue: At some point, all these
hybrid batteries will die and have to be disposed of somewhere,
somehow. These are hardly biodegradable items like spoiled
vegetables. They are in fact self-contained toxic waste dumps.
How and where millions of these poisonous boxes will be
deposited in the new hybrid nirvana has yet to be considered,
much less resolved.
And speaking of the environmental component (the glamour issue
centered on the brave new world of hybrids), a number of EMT and
fire crews have announced that they will refuse to rescue victims
trapped in such vehicles, openly fearing electrocution or fatal acid
burns.
As with the now-defunct electric-car miracle, where it was quickly
realized that the national power grid could not energize millions of
vehicles without massive expansion of horrors—nuclear
generation—the dark side of the hybrid miracle is now beginning to
surface.

Car and Driver - Brock Yates - September 2005 http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?se...article_id=98...
2 of 3 31-Aug-05 8:08 AM

Says a dealer friend whose immense franchise network includes
several brands offering hybrids: "There is no advantage to owning
a hybrid in terms of fuel mileage when the extra cost of the vehicle
is added in. Period. Do the math. This is a feel-good purchase.
Hybrids are a statement about the environment, and they simply
do not square with economic reality.
"The truth is, although the Prius is selling like mad, hybrid Honda
Accords and Civics are backed up on dealer lots. Why? Because
they look like conventional Hondas, whereas the Prius has unique
styling. It has an iconic status among the Greenies. Like it or not,
that's real life."
Until hybrids become economically feasible in terms of cost,
reliability, and valid fuel savings and make real sense regarding
performance and disposability, we're going to be driving
conventional internal-combustion-powered vehicles—either gas or
diesel —until rogue asteroids clean us all out.

Premium gas is $1.15!!!

Cred ca esti un pic dezinformat. V8 care sa vibreze ca dracu ? Poate ar fi bine sa mai citesti despre efectul numarului de cilindri si cit de bine balansate motoarele cu motoare in V, respective citzi mai multzi cilindri in V. Iar treaba cu CP ... poate numerele nu sint atit de impresionante pe cit ar putea fii...dar la cuplu, lb-ft = N-m te prajesc in sos de cartofi!

Orice chestie noua (pe piata, nu neaparat noua tehnologic) intampina scepticism, in toate domeniile.

In the past five years, gasoline prices have jumped 250 percent, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy. The financial impact on our survey group is significant, based on their average of 13,199 annual miles driven (=21000km/an) and 21.9 miles per gallon ( consumul mediu al respondentilor 10.8l%). At current prices, their driving behavior translates to an average annual gasoline bill of $1,780, or $1,000 more than what the bill would have been five years ago.

In the short-term, consumers reported little flexibility to reduce their driving related to commuting or personal/family transportation. So to compensate for higher fuel bills, drivers are adjusting their lifestyles and household budgets in a variety of ways:
42 percent of respondents strongly agreed that they will drive less.
39 percent will change vacation plans.
38 percent will spend less money in restaurants and on entertainment.
38 percent will drive more smoothly to increase fuel mileage.
36 percent reported that they will have more difficulty paying for essentials like food and health care.
Despite the hit to the wallet, few claimed they would seek alternative transportation, such as bicycle, carpool, or public transit.

Overall, 84 percent of consumers indicated that they took action in the last month to compensate for the elevated gasoline prices. Two-thirds shopped around for better prices at the pump, with 31 percent choosing a lesser-known petroleum brand. Almost as many, 28 percent, used the Internet to compare gas prices.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they were considering replacing their current vehicle for one with greater fuel economy. The percentage was highest among younger drivers (18-34 years old) who have a lower income and drive more miles per year.

Nationwide, 55 percent of those who may replace their vehicle are considering a small car, more than 2.5 times the share of those looking at a family sedan or small SUV--the next most-popular vehicle types. The desire for a small car was common across the board, regardless of gender, age, income, or region. In contrast, large SUVs are on the shopping list for only 1 percent of survey respondents. This trend signals an imminent shift in vehicle purchases that will change the automotive marketplace, should prices at the pump continue to escalate.

Bigger, faster, thirstier

How the average vehicle sold in the U.S. has changed: 2006 vs. 1987

Fuel economy (mpg) 21 (=11.3 l %) vs. 22.1 (10.7 l %) :angel:

Weight (lbs.) 4,142 (=1883kg) vs. 3,220 (=1464kg)

Horsepower 219 vs. 118

0 to 60 mph (seconds) 9.7 vs. 13.1

% cars/trucks 50/50 vs. 72/28 :bash:

Source: EPA: Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends, 1975-2006 (July 2006)

Average 2006 vehicle fuel economy, in mpg

Honda 24.2

Toyota 23.8

Hyundai/Kia 23.5

VW 23.5

GM 20.5

Nissan 20.5

Ford 19.7

DaimlerChrysler 19.1

Source: EPA: Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends, 1975-2006 (July 2006)